


Help, I'm Alive!

by ThisIsLizz



Category: zombies run
Genre: Gen, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, never thought i'd write one of those ;)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 10:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7931587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsLizz/pseuds/ThisIsLizz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three things are true even during the zombie apocalypse:<br/>1. People wear marks on their skin with first words their soulmate will say to them.<br/>2. Those marks become grey scars if one soulmate dies before they can unite.<br/>3. There is a soulmate for everyone.</p><p>Except ...<br/>3 isn't really true, now. Isn't it?</p><p> </p><p>--<br/>Yep, it's a soulmate AU. Because every fandom needs at least a few dozen of those.<br/>I hope you like it, Nerdletes, I tried to add as many of your prompts as possible ...</p><p>This story is still very un-betaed, it's mostly a first draft (my new job kept me more busy than I expected). But I already have an amazing beta reader and hopefully the final version will be up soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Help, I'm Alive!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nerdletes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdletes/gifts).



> Big thanks to my wonderful beta, Linnea!  
> (Find Linnea on AO3, twitter, and tumblr @tardisandcinnamon!)
> 
>  
> 
> Warning:
> 
> This story includes spoilers up to Season 2 Mission 7 (Mummy's Hand) - if you're past that you should be fine ;)
> 
> It lists Doctor Girlfriends in description, but this is mostly a 5am story. Radio Boyfriends make a short (and hilarious!) guest appearance, Maxine is in it a lot, but Doctor Girlfriends are more of a cameo ...

 During the Zombie Apocalypse, a lot of things don't mean as much anymore as they used to. Like the brand of clothes you wear. Or plucking your eyebrows. Or who is keeping up with the Kardashians and why. Or why not.

Also Soulmates. Not as important anymore.

During the first wave of the zombie virus, a lot of tattoos turn into ash grey scars. Everybody knows what it means: The person who should have, would have, said those words, the person who was supposed to be your soulmate – that person didn't make it.

Some people despair, knowing they will never meet their perfect match. Their soulmate. The one they are destined to be with.

Some people find comfort in it, knowing that at least this person will not have to face the aftermath of the first outbreak, will no longer have to run for their lives in the post apocalyptic world, will no longer have to fear the zombies.

Some people still have their black marks, the first words their soulmates will ever say to them. But what even are the chances of finding that person, now that traveling is difficult, and you never truly know who you can trust?

 

But of course, there are some stories with a happy end! Story about people who – against all odds – find each other.

 

But not his story, no. His story won't have a happy end. That he knows for sure.

Because in this world, everyone has a soulmate! Right?

Think again...

 

 

* * *

 

 

It's been a long day in the comms shack of Abel.

Then again, all of those last days and weeks have been long. With Abel rebuilding, most of its citizens still in New Canton as refugees, and his best Runner threatened by- 

It's been a long few days at Abel, and after finally handing over comms duty to Amber, who is going to oversee the last two supply runs today, Abel's main communications operator Sam Yao can finally go and get some rest.

And maybe a shower first, because he is in dire need of one.

Also food.

 

 

The air outside is fresh, fall approaching, and he can feel a slight breeze on his skin.

Abel is still not fully restored, not yet. But Janine's farmhouse is looking great so far, and there are more houses now, better houses. The new hospital should be completed around next week when the last equipment from New Canton and Mullins is here. Maxine must be excited to finally move in.

Sam just wants the people and all his Runners to return back home. 

He spots a familiar person standing in front of the Radio Shack, and hurries over to greet her.

"Hey Doc!"

"Sam, done with work for today?" Maxine asks when he stops in front of her. She eyes him, and he knows why. Yes, he hasn't been sleeping all that well, especially during the first weeks, when it was just a few people left at Abel and the rest was somewhere out there, or at New Canton. And 'not sleeping all that well' is code for 'not sleeping at all', really. Maxine had caught him a few times wide awake, working during his rest periods.

But now he's doing better, a little. He slept for a few hours yesterday, and hopes Maxine can see it. Or she'll bother him for the rest of the evening, offering him consultation and drugs and therapy for his insomnia. Or whatever doctors like her could provide. Can doctors like Maxine provide psychotherapy or is this a completely different branch of medicine? He's not sure …

Also, now that he gets a closer look at Maxine, she doesn't look too good herself. No surprise, with the whole Paula thing and all. Maxine looks tired. No, exhausted. And … nervous?

He fails at suppressing a yawn. "Not done yet. But Amber is taking over for now so I get a few hours of rest. A quick shower first, then I'll meet Five for lunch. We haven't seen each other in a while, so yeah..."

"Still worried about the whole Nadia thing?"

Ugh, Nadia …

Sam remembers going to school with a girl called Nadia. She was pretty cool, and also friendly, and dated a guy he had some classes with. So he's always had good associations with that name. But no longer … because Nadia tried to kill his- tried to kill Runner Five.

"We've all been really busy. So I just … I want to make sure everything's okay with Five. You know."

He tries – and fails – not to look too worried, to look like it doesn't bother him anymore what has happened. But Maxine is … well … Maxine. She's good at reading people.

But she decides not to make him 'talk about it' today, and just nods. "Alright then, enjoy your shower and your meal. I should be heading back inside anyway," she points at door to the radio shack behind her.

"Oh, right! The medical show you're doing with Jack and Eugene!" He smiles brightly. "That's today, isn't it? I completely forgot about that!"

"I wish I could forget," Maxine confesses, and suddenly she blushes a little. "I'm really not good at this. Suddenly I don't know how to speak, should I just talk the boys and the Radio Cabel crew, or directly to the listeners? What if I'm talking too fast, or not fast enough? Also I have no idea where to put my hands. Can I rest my arms at the table or will that influence the mics? And I don't get immediate feedback, not like when I'm talking to Runners, so how do I know I'm not making a complete fool of myself?"

Sam can't help but laugh. Doctor Maxine Myers, brilliant scientist and great friend, stressed out by talking on a radio show with a few hundred listeners top. "You'll be doing great!" He assures her. "You managed to give Evan his flu shots last week despite his fear of needles! You're working on an anti-zombie vaccine! You can do anything!"

"That's much easier than being funny and educational on air," she insists. "And I still don't know what to do with my hands."

He pats her shoulder. "Tell you what, Five and I will be listening during lunch, and if you're embarrassing yourself, we'll come and rescue you."

"Okay." Maxine actually looks a little relieved.

Sam wishes all of his friends' problems — and his own problems! — could be solved as easily as this one.

 

 

Five is already waiting in the big tent that's the provisional kitchen and cafeteria. Just a few more days and then, hopefully, they can all move into the brand new container to cook and eat.

Sam's a little late, but he really really needed that shower. On his way to their usual table — the one in the left hand corner — he helps himself to a tray of food (mashed potatoes and vegetables, yes!!!!) and borrows the small radio from the kitchen. Jody is standing next to their table, chatting with Five. She says something, and the two of them burst into laughter.

It's good seeing Five laugh. It makes Sam happy, and suddenly he feels calm, and more relaxed, like the world suddenly became a little less terrible. There is something about Five's laughter-

\- both their laughters of course! Not just Fives!

This is not about Five. At all. Sam enjoys seeing _all_ his Runners happy. Because that means they are safe, and feel safe, and are no longer afraid because someone who should have protected them did lead them into a potentially deadly trap and -

This isn't about Five as such. Not much.

They are still chuckling when he arrives at the table and puts the radio and his tray down.

"Hey Jody, are you going to join us for lunch?"

There is a voice in his head that says: Please don't. But that's not … That's nonsense. Why wouldn't he want Jody to join them? He likes Jody, she's cool, and smart, and funny, and also one of his Runners. He likes spending time with her.

Just not now, when he'd been looking forward to his lunch date with Five. No. Lunch. Not lunch _date_. Just lunch. No dates here. No dating whatsoever. Just lunch. Lunch he wants to have with Five and no one else.

Wait what?

His confusion must show on his face, because Jody looks at him for a second, and he can all but see the question marks around her head. She looks at Five who just shrugs like _Don't ask me, I got no idea_.

"You're a weird one, Sam," she says with a smile. "And now excuse me, I promised to help Simon with the training gear in the new recreation centre. It needs to work for people of his size and my size equally."

"Have fun," Sam says weakly, still kind of lost in his own train of thoughts. He really should get a few hours of sleep after that, this is getting way out of hand.

Five signs a last ' _Enjoy. Bye!_ ' as Jody leaves, and then looks at Sam. ' _Everything alright?_ '

He nods and sits down. „Yeah, just … long day, don't worry.“

Five still looks a little worried.

Sam feels guilty. Ever since they met all these months ago, he got used to talking to Five about … well … everything. He told Five about his problems with his parents, about his sister, about Alice, and Five also confided in him. He doesn't like not sharing all his thoughts and worries with his friend, and yet … he can't just tell Five that his inner voice called their lunch a 'lunch date'. Sure, lunch date doesn't have to have any … romantic implications. But it _could_. So why didn't his inner voice just say 'lunch'? Using that word might mean considering it an option and -

Time to change the topic.

"Maxine is on the radio, doing her medical talk thing with Jack and Eugene. I promised we'd listen and save her if she does something embarrassing."

Five eyes him suspiciously, like saying _I'm onto you, buddy, I'll find out what's going on_ , but then drops the subject and switches on the radio.

A few moments later, music is filling the air, an old rock song that for sure is from Eugene's playlist (because Eugene is a purist when it comes to rock music), and Sam and Five are nodding along to the rhythm, digging into their food, in comfortable silence.

"Listeners, we're back," they hear Jack's voice after the last cords of the song. "We still got the wonderful and incredibly smart Doctor Myers here with us to talk about medicine. We got a few questions for you from our listeners."

"Oh, okay," Maxine still sounds a little nervous.

"First question!" That's the female radio host from New Canton. Zoe, is that her name? He asks Five, who nods with a fond smile. Oh, guess that means they met when Five was still in New Canton, and got along.

He doesn't like that thought, but he doesn't really know why.

"Mary wants to know: 'When taking care of someone who is ill, or checking an unconscious person for wounds or bites, how should I behave if I accidentally see their soulmark?' Thank you for the question, Mary, what do you think, Maxine?"

Of course.

Of fucking course there'd be questions about soulmarks.

It's the apocalypse, and still people are obsessed with those stupid soulmarks. The first words their soulmate will ever say to them. Pfff. Why do people still bother? And why did he have to switch on the radio?

"That's a difficult question," Maxine starts. "In our western society, soulmarks are considered something very intimate, and most of us cover them up with bandaids or bandages, or even makeup, until we are ready to reveal them to someone. But of course, in times like these, you might have to check for zombie bites even underneath a bandage, or someone might be hurt at this exact spot and you'll have to remove it to clean the wound."

Sam glances over to Five who's smile has vanished. Five never talks about soulmarks and soulmates either. They've know each other for a long time, but surprisingly, Five has never brought it up. Usually if he knows people as well as he knows Five, they start mentioning soulmarks on their own. They usually tell him if they want to find their soulmate. If they don't care anymore. If their marks have turned to ash grey scars. But Five? Never even mentioned it once.

Maybe that's one of the reasons he likes hanging out with Five so much, even more than hanging out with Maxine who is one of his best friends and one of the most amazing people he knows.

And now Five looks a little uncomfortable as well. Just like Sam, who reaches for the Radio's off-switch just as Maxine is explaining how to behave if someone accidentally sees a soulmark.

But Five stops him and signs, ' _You promised, right?_ '

He sighs. "I did."

' _Then let's listen..._ '

They eat in silence while Maxine speaks, and only when Jack plays another song – a terrible dance number that should have been buried and forgotten in the 90ies – does the mood lighten.

Sam tells Five about all the pulp novels Runner Seven found yesterday, and how quickly they had vanished into Janine's farm house ("What I read is none of your concern, Mr Yao!"), and Five tells him about today's progress with the houses.

"Did Maxine approve you go out on another mission soon?" he asks.

Maxine – and Sam as well! - had been very persistent Five took a few days off after what happened with Nadia.

Five nods and beams, clearly ready to get out again. ' _I hate not running._ '

"Well, and we hate not having you run." Sam says. "I might not like how all of you get into danger every time you leave those walls, but also it makes me very proud seeing you out there, doing what you like. We depend on you, Five. And we're thankful for everything you've done. You especially. Abel wouldn't be here without you."

Five blushes, and it does something to Sam. Something he doesn't really want to examine right now, so instead he puts his focus on the radio again.

Which was not the best idea, considering the hosts are still talking about soulmates. Really, how much can you talk about the same old topic? Doesn't it get boring after a while?

"So wait a minute," that's the other New Canton host, Phil, "I remember hearing the story about how the two of you met. Are you telling me that Jack has the words ' _Come with me if you want to live_ ' tattooed somewhere on his body?“

There is roaring laughter coming from the radio. The people sitting at the table next to Sam and Five – Ed, an engineer friend of his, and the girl who watches the kids when Amber is on comms duty – are suddenly leaning closer.

"Can you turn that up?" Ed asks.

Sam sighs and turns the volume up. Five seems hyper focused on the food, obviously trying very hard not to pay too much attention to the radio either.

Everyone laughs when Jack tells his co-hosts and Maxine how he was never allowed to watch sci-fi movies as a kid because his mother didn't approve of the genre. "So I had no idea this was from a movie."

"You're kidding!" Maxine laughs. "Then what were they thinking about a weird first sentence like that?" At least Maxine sounds more relaxed now, like she's finally gotten over her stage fright. Radio fright. Mic fright. Whatever.

"Oh, my mum was very worried when I got it as a kid. Especially when I became a teenager and it turned out that my soulmate would definitely be a guy. Something she also wasn't too happy about. I guess she assumed those words were coming from some dangerous older dude, trying to kidnap me, and I'd develop Stockholm Syndrome. Something that never came to her mind when she still thought I was interested in girls, funny, isn't it?" Even Sam can hear that Jack's chuckle sounds a little hurt. "But then I finally watched the Terminator movies at my friend's place, and I realised my soulmate was no kidnapper, just a huge dork."

"Oh shuttup," Eugene mumbles.

"And so your tattoo says ' _Is the party over?_ '" Zoe asks. Jack bursts out laughing.

"Yeah, and that might have gotten me some sort of reputation at university..."

"Why, what happened?"

"It's an old story, and I was a student ..."

"No, no, no! Tell them," Jack says, now laughing hysterically. "Go on, tell them what you did, you dork."

There's a huff, and then Eugene says, reluctantly, "I might have … do I _have_ to tell?"

There is an enthusiastic "YES!!" in the radio shack (as well as more hysterical laughter from Jack) and in the cafeteria, where even more people have now inched closer to listen.

Well, so much for Sam's private lunch date with Five. Lunch! Just lunch. No date.

Goddammit, Sam's brain!

"Okay okay," Eugene gives in. "I might have been driving around campus and frat houses in the early morning hours after big parties, hoping I'd find my soulmate. I was young and desperate, and I swear I always made sure everyone got home save. But still I got that … reputation-"

"You were a creep!" Jack interrupts.

"I was not a creep! I was looking for my soulmate. That's romantic!"

"That's not what it looked like. Tell them what happened!"

"I didn't even realise how it must have looked to … well, everyone else. Until I was arrested because the campus police thought I was some sort of predator targeting party kids too drunk to know what they were doing. The dean threatened to kick me out, she even informed my dad. But in the end everything turned out fine and I was allowed to stay. Mainly because I showed the dean the soulmark on my butt. In front of the whole committee. And my dad who was also invited. The end."

There is more hysterical laughter, in the comm shack and cafeteria, and Jack – barely able to still speak – dedicates the next song to his creeper boyfriend.

He plays _Every Breath You Take_ by the Police, the crowd in the cafeteria goes back to their seats. Only now does Sam see the small post-it note on his now empty tray that says _Sorry, had to go_  in Five's handwriting.

Looking around he can't see Five anywhere. That's not how he imagined this Lunch Date to end.

Lunch.

Dammit.

 

 

 

Sam skips his few hours of rest – he wouldn't be able to sleep anyways, with too many thoughts in his head – and instead takes over the late shift from Amber, overseeing a group of Abel and New Canton runners picking up rebuilding material from a small airport not too far away. There's a New Canton radio operator helping him, but they don't talk much.

Everyone at New Canton knows what happened to Nadia. They consider her to be the best of them all. And all she did was betray them, betray Abel, and betray Five. So the other operator – Sam didn't even bother remembering her name – doesn't do much smalltalk, they just get the job done, and it's nearly dark by the time the runners and the material are finally save and secure inside township walls.

Another successful mission.

He says the obligatory Good Bye to the New Canton radio operator, and logs off once the gates are securely locked. Time for Abel to go to sleep.

But Sam stays inside his now nearly dark Comms Shack, where he sleeps, pretending to organise his notes, and clean, and prepare for tomorrow. All he actually does is keep busy a little longer, not quite ready to go to sleep. And he doesn't want to go outside and talk to anyone either. Now that the topic came up on the Radio, people will talk about soulmates for the rest of the day, and maybe even the rest of the week.

Sam hates it.

He's always hated it.

He's had enough soulmate talk in this childhood for the rest of his life really. Sam can still hear his mother's worried voice when they went to see yet another doctor, once specialist after the other. He didn't understand back then why it was such a big deal. He was a kid, he didn't care about tattoos or soulmates or mutations, he cared about toy dinosaurs and transformers. But it was a constant companion in his childhood, the conversations about his "condition", about "Late Marking" or whatever the damn Latin name for it was, about rare anomalies like him, who got their soulmarks later in their live, during puberty. He didn't care back then.

He started to care when he hit puberty though. When girls became interesting - and sometimes boys. When in the locker rooms he became more aware of the bandages covering marks. When his best friend got a girlfriend age fourteen and they were so excited about the possibility of being soulmates. (They weren't, of course, they were fourteen. Nobody meets their significant other at fourteen!) When the girl he wanted to date age fifteen rejected him because she was waiting for the person to say the same exact words tattooed on her left calf.

He started to care when – despite his parents telling him he'd get his soulmark any day now – he didn't.

Pulling his shirt up a little Sam looks down at the plaster on his right hip. He doesn't even know why he's still bothering putting it on every time after taking a shower. He remembers the first day he put it on. His sixteenth birthday. The day he realised that there wouldn't be a tattoo. Ever.

No matter what the doctors said he knew, he somehow knew. Screw you, Natasha Bedingfield, there isn't a soulmate for everyone. No soulmark, no soulmate.

He put on the plaster for his parents' sake. And for his sister's sake. And because as long as he wears it he can still pretend.

But really, why would he? Why pretend now? His parents are long gone, his sister … who knows. And really, nobody should care anymore, in these days.

Sam takes a deep breath, and then he pulls the plaster off. The plaster covering nothing, only skin. And a few freckles.

It doesn't even hurt.

Much.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, after a few hours of not-sleeping, Sam finds himself in the comms shack again. Today he's working with Phil, who took over from Nadia. Sam likes Phil alright when he's on the radio. But he doesn't know much about him, he didn't really listen to the Radio much in the first weeks after the attack (not only did Sam not have any time for listening to the radio back then, but he also kind of resented the young man from New Canton for not being Jack and Eugene).

But Sam has to admit Phil kind of grew on him. And guiding the group of Runners for more material is more enjoyable with him than it was with Nadia.

Runner Three is out with a group from New Canton today, and it's also Five's first run since the break. Watching his Runner in the field makes him more happy than he's been in quite a while.

His Runner _s_. Plural! _All_ of his Runners. Three _and_ Five. This is not just about Five, of course. Not that Five is 'his' Runner anyway. At least, not more than any of the others.

He's just happy seeing them all out there, Five and two of the New Canton Runners running decoy while the rest are loading as many electrical heaters as they can into the waiting truck. Abel is getting ready for winter early – to make sure when the bad weather hits and everyone else is out looking for heaters, Abel already has what they need.

Things had been a little weird this morning before the Runners headed out. Five had apologised again for ditching him during their lunch da- lunch nothing. During their lunch. Clearly, Five felt bad about it, until Sam promised it wasn't a big deal and they were still good, no harm done. He didn't ask why Five left all of a sudden. That's how their friendship worked.

And now everything is more or less back to normal, back to how it used to be, how it supposed to be. Sam feels a little naked without the plaster, a little exposed despite his clothes. But it's going to be okay. He hopes. Talking to Five in the morning, even if it was just small talk, helped a lot. Sam didn't need a soulmate, as long as he had friends like Maxine, and Jody, and Five. He didn't need anyone else.

"Five, there is a small group getting closer from your left. Do you think you can outpace them? It will be a little tricky finding you a different route."

A quick sequence of taps against the mic, and Five pics up the pace.

"What was that noise?" he hears Phil ask in his headset.

"Morse code. We don't always have cameras. Also I'm not very good at sign language yet ..."

"You speak morse, that's kind of impressive," Phil admits.

Sam shrugs, "Can't send our best Runner out without any way of communicating. Alright, Five, try heading a little further north, just to make sure, then you can get rid of them around those small houses. Are you sure you can keep up that pace? Because if you need to slow down we can find you a different route. Or we'll send someone out with a noise maker, or-"

Another sequence of taps against the mic. Sam laughs. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

"What did Five say?"

"Stop worrying."

"Hm," Phil huffs. "You do worry a lot about your Runners, don't you? I think most operators do. It's … a lot of responsibility. I'm not sure if I'd like to do this every day."

"I am," Sam says, watching Five easily shaking off the group of zombies, the rest of the decoy team making sure nobody gets to close to the truck, and the others loading it.

But mostly he watches Five.

He's sure he likes doing this every day.

 

 

Everything goes well, until suddenly it doesn't. The truck is fully loaded and on its way back to Abel, Sam is looking forward to a short break. Maybe he can sneak some chocolate from the kitchens. Last week a Runner found a box Kitkat bars, they are Five's favourite. Maybe he should try and get some, give them to Five as a Welcome Back present, to celebrate their successful mission together since Nadia.

He listens to Phil guiding the Runners in the right direction – always making sure he's not leading them somewhere they shouldn't be, Sam has learned from his mistake trusting Nadia, thank you very much.

"If you keep going in that direction you can cross the river at the small wooden bridge and then head directly back," Phil instructs, and there is an uncomfortable background noise in Sam's headphones.

"Did you make that noise, Phil?" he asks.

"What noise?"

There it is again!

"Guess it's just on my side then, you don't hear anything when I talk?"

"Nope."

"Simon, do you get any background noise?"

"Negative, Sam, your voices are coming trough loud and clear. Like the voices of angels," he jokes.

"I'll see what I can do, you just keep on running, you're nearly at the bridge. A few of you should cross first, then the truck on its own, because it will have to go slowly or the bridge might collapse. If those zombies to your south get any closer you might have to run decoy on both river sides while the truck crosses."

"Roger that, Sam!"

There's the annoying noise again, now also in transmissions coming in from the runners. Awesome, maybe something is wrong with the wiring. Sam gets up to check if it's something he can fix inside. He crawls under the desk and checks a few plugs, listening to Phil talk to the Runners. But he can't seem to fix it. On contrary, it seems to get a little worse. He tries a few cables, and then decides he'll have to get help.

As he crawls back from underneath the desk he makes a mental note to talk to Janine about it. He also decides to make a physical note as well, because his mental notes tend to get lost in his mental chaos.

There are screams in his headphones!

"Go go go!!" one of the New Canton Runners shouts, everyone is talking at once, even Phil, and Sam nearly stumbles over his legs trying to get out from under the desk as fast as he can.

"What's going on?!"

He pulls himself up and looks at his screens. Is everyone alright? Is Five-?“

"The bridge collapsed," Phil informs him, "The truck made it, but the zombies are here, and some of the Runners ..."

"Where are they?" he tries to get a better angle at his cameras. "Runner Three, Runner Five, report!"

"Runner Three here, I'm fine, helped pushing the truck and I'm not on the other side. But the car engine is down. A few zombies are heading our way."

He checks the cameras. "I see them. Pull them away from the truck. Runners … erm ..." Where are his notes? Oh, screw it! "New Canton Runners in the truck, get the car to work as fast as you can."

"Working on it, Abel!"

"Five?"

He checks his camera for the other Abel Runner, but all he can see are New Canton people and approaching zombies. Five is neither with the group trying to fix the truck, nor with the group at the other side of the river.

Where is Five? Where the hell-?

For a few moments he's back in the comms shack at night, lighting the beacon on top of the tower, talking to Five who might be dead. He's back at Abel when the rocket launcher hits and he loses contact to his runners and he doesn't know if Five made it. He's back at this desk just doing regular check ups watching Five heading for Dedlocks territory...

This can't be the end, this can't be-

"Sam, there is a tapping, like before, can you hear it?"

He tries, but all he can hear is that damn static-y background noise. "No! But is it Five's morse code?"

"I think so, yes."

"Five, can you hear me, are you okay? Phil, do you get an answer?"

"Yes, let me try this real quick …" something is going on, and then the signal comes through, not necessarily clearer, but a little louder. And Sam can hear the the morse code: _I-M-A-L-I-V-E_ it says, and it's the two most amazing words he's ever heard. Also he smiles at the call back to their first meeting. Five is okay. Still alive and kicking. Three is okay as well. Everything is going to be fine.

Turns out Five and another New Canton Runner stumbled when the bridge broke, and fell a few meters down the slope into the river. The other Runner – Phil calls him Marc – is a little bruised, but they both seem okay.

Sam instructs them to make their way through the river to the other side – it's not that deep - and finally, the truck is working again.

Still riding high on adrenaline, Sam and Phil instruct the Runners on both sides of the river how to get back, and Simon loses the zombies on his tail a few minutes later close to a very creepy old mini golf course.

Maxine and her medical team of one other person (a nurse in training from New Canton who decided to move to Abel) are ready when the Runners come in with the truck, and after a quick Goodbye to Phil Sam hurries outside. He needs to see with his own eyes that everyone (Five!) is okay.

Five is waving at him from the gates, helping a hurt New Canton Runner inside. A little ruffled and dirty (most likely from rolling down a slope and wading through the river), and a few scratches. But fine.

That's the most important thing.

 

 

He doesn't get to talk to Five right away. Janine makes sure everyone is busy, there is no time for chitchat when they still need to offload the truck, and make sure all of the injured Runners are taken care of.

It's already way past lunchtime when Sam, who had make sure the now empty truck made it back to New Canton, sees Five sitting in the waiting area of the hospital tent.

"Hey Five, good work today," he sits down on the bench. "You had me worried for a second."

Five signs. ' _Sorry.'_

"No need to be sorry. I just wished your first run back from home base would be a little less exciting."

' _Zombie Apocalypse_ ' is all Five answers.

"Fair enough. But you're good, right? Everything still okay?" Why does he need to make absolutely sure Five is okay? Why does he have to double and triple-check?

Five gives him a thumbs up and a small, nervous smile.

"Okay. Okay, that's good," finally he feels relieved.

Five looks at him, a little nervous, calculating, as if unsure what to say, and then finally signs: ' _Can I talk to you?_ '

"We're talking right now."

Wow, that an impressive eye roll!

"Sorry, yeah, sure we can talk. About something in particular?"

Five nods, and – to Sam's surprise – blushes a little. It does things to his stomach, those things he tries to not look at too closely. He's about to ask another question, but hears footsteps getting closer.

' _Later,_ ' Five signs.

"Sure," he says, just as Maxine enters the small waiting area.

"Five, there you are. Ready for your check up?"

A sigh, then a nod. All Runners hate that procedure, but it's necessary. After each and every mission.

"Oh, what's that?" Maxine points at Five's arm. Sam can see a small blood stain on the sleeve. "Did you get hurt? Let's have a look."

Five rolls up the sleeve to show Maxine a small scratch, most likely from falling down. Maxine looks at it for a moment, but doesn't seem too concerned about it.

Sam doesn't look at the scratch. He looks at the bandage on Five's right upper arm, just a little below the wound. The bandage hiding Five's soulmark.

The warm feeling in his stomach disappears within a split second, leaving behind a nagging, terrible cold. Under this bandages are the first words Five's soulmate will ever-

It's none of his business, really.

And he shouldn't care about it as much as he does.

And he shouldn't feel betrayed because why should he?

But he does, and he doesn't like it, and he doesn't want to think about it. He doesn't want to hate that stupid soulmark, and Five's stupid soulmate, and soulmates in general. And yet he does. And he doesn't want to think about why.

He needs to get out of here!

"Gotta go," he says. "Problems with the radio tower. See you later."

On his way out he glances a look at the two of them, standing in the waiting area, Maxine still examining Five's arm. The doc looks at him, a little confused, but also … calculating. Like she's suspecting something.

Not that there's anything to be suspicious about.

Five just looks confused. And hurt. The blush on Five's cheeks is long gone.

Sam needs some fresh air.

 

 

* * *

 

 

They don't have their conversation the next day. Or the one afterwards.

Everyone is too busy. The electrical heaters have to be installed, the kitchen can finally move, and the hospital is ready. Everyone who has a few minutes to spare is roped into helping.

Sam finds himself enjoying the work. After monitoring a fuel run he helps the kitchen crew moving all the food to the new kitchens and storage units. It's a lot of work, and his arms, his back, and his legs hurt, once he finally gets to lie down on his mattress - he prefers sleeping on a thin mattress with a sleeping bag in the small back area of the comms shack to sharing a tent with Runner Sixteen. Because Runner Sixteen might be a great Person and runner, but he snores. A lot! Sam used to have his own bed in one of the barracks but he was more than willing to hand it over when Five came back and needed a place to sleep. So now he camps at the comms shack floor. Yay!

Physical work should be liberating. He doesn't need to think too much, and the exhaustion helps falling asleep.

And yet.

And yet he's still awake, lying on his back, staring at the ceiling of the comms shack. Desperate for some sleep. Still awake.

The skin on his right hip itches. The place where the plaster used to be.

He scratches it, remembering the stupid stories Jack and Eugene told on the radio, about their soulmarks.

Remembering Alice's ash grey soulmark scar, and how she told him it didn't matter, that she liked Sam, that she didn't care they weren't soulmates. But deep inside he'd always known that if Alice's soulmate had still been alive, if the words had not been ash grey, if he or she had still been out there somewhere, things would have been different between Alice and him.

He remembers that one evening, after Five had found Paula's recording, remembers Maxine's tears when she'd told him that Paula and her were soulmates. How the two of them had the most generic soulmarks possible, saying ' _Hi',_  and ' _Nice to meet you_ ', and how Maxine had still known, the moment she heard those generic words, that Paula was in fact the right person.

He remembers being jealous, envying her for having a soulmate. His heart broke for her because she'd lost Paula, or thought she had lost her, but deep inside he envied her – and felt like a monster.

He remembers the bandage on Five's arm, and hates it with a passion.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Things go back to normal. Five never mentions wanting to talk to him again, and seems a little distant, but aside of that, things are fine.

Maxine does a few tests with her attempts at a vaccine (she doesn't want to call it a vaccine but that's what it is) using Evan's dog Bonnie, and all in all the first trial is successful. Mostly.

Sam still doesn't know where the damn background noise in his headphones comes from, and he keeps writing himself mental notes, but he keeps forgetting to ask Janine about it.

He buries himself in more work, and attempts to fix the comm shack, and so it takes him a while to realise he is not the only one. It's only when Jody mentions being worried about Maxine for never taking a break, that Sam realises how much he let his frustration about soulmates and soulmarks make him neglect his friends.

That's not who he is.

Soulmate or not, Sam has always been proud of being a good friend. He cares about people. About his family, and friends, and his Runners, and all the people at Abel. And Maxine is one of the best friends he's ever had.

He makes a mental note to visit her during lunch break the next day.

He also makes a physical note. Just be sure he doesn't forget.

 

When Maxine doesn't take a break to have lunch the next day either, he packs some food for her (with permission by the kitchens of course!), and heads over to the new hospital/laboratory. It's amazing how far Abel has come these last few weeks. More houses are completed every day, the walls are higher now than before, there is a small area now to house some chickens, the memorial park is done, and hopefully in a few weeks they'll finally be able to get rid of the tents. Fall is approaching quickly, and nobody likes camping during bad weather.

He stops to talk to Jack and Eugene for a few moments, when Ed sees him and walks over.

"Sam, Five was looking for you. Something important."

Jack and Eugene exchange a look Sam doesn't like. That look people, especially couples, exchange who think they know more about something than everyone else.

"Thanks, Ed, I'll just make sure Maxine eats something, then I'll go find Five."

Jack and Eugene exchange yet another of those looks. Maybe they do know something Sam doesn't? As far as he knows Jack and Eugene stay in one of the tents next to where the Runners sleep. Did they overhear something?

Nonsense, they're just being silly. It's Jack and Eugene after all! On their own they are grown ups (mostly), together they turn into love stuck teenagers.

Sam's not jealous but dammit he is.

With a few last words he makes his way to the hospital.

 

 

Maxine is buried in her work.

Not metaphorically, but literally. There is a ton of papers on and around the desk where Maxine usually works, also some samples, and books, and somewhere underneath a computer. And Maxine, looking for something.

"Hey Maxine, take a break, eat something," he sets the food on the chair, the only paper free surface he can find, and looks around.

"I don't have time for that, Sam," first Maxine's black curls appear from underneath the desk, then the rest of her face. "I'm at a highly critical point in this analysis. And I can't find the yellow folder with the previous data."

Sam glances around. There is a yellow folder sitting in a shelf, on top of some clean towels. He grabs it. "This yellow folder?"

Maxine looks relieved. "Yes, exactly! Where did you find it!"

He points at the shelf. "Maxine, usually you are one of the best organised people I know. You need a break."

She snatches the folder out of his hands. "I can't Sam, I'm so close to figuring this out. And if I can create a vaccine that will slow down zombies, or maybe even repel them, or even better, reverse the progress ..."

He tries to sound as calm as possible. "If anyone can do it, I know it's you. But you won't be able to save the world if you don't take a break every now and then. Look, here, I brought some food," he points at the chair. "Sit down, eat something, and then take a short nap. Just half an hour. Trust me you'll feel refreshed and so much better, and then you can get back to work."

Maxine shakes her head, her hair a complete mess like she hasn't brushed it in a week. "I don't have time for that."

"If you really find a vaccine, a few days more or less won't matter!"

"But we need it if we want to get rid of Van Ark and help-" Maxine shuts her mouth quickly, like she's said too much.

"Is … is this about Paula?" Sam asks.

A hysterical laugh that sounds like a sob. "Of course it is, _everything_ is about Paula. The faster I find a way to deal with the zombies, the faster we can take down Professor van Ark, and the faster I can find out what … what happened to Paula. I need to know why the mark turned into a scar,“ her hand is touching her left shoulder, the spot Sam knows her soulmark is, "And is still grey but she's there and still alive and I don't understand, but I need to see her-"

Sam takes a deep breath. "Maxine, I know you love her. And you have questions. And you want to make sure she is okay." He remembers staying up all night talking on the radio into the dark, just in case Five was still alive, and hurries to get rid of that thought. Now's not the time for his own little drama. "And we will all help you with that, we want to find out what happened. But you can't do anything if you work yourself to death."

There is another sob. Maxine looks like she's about to break down. "I need to..."

"You need to sleep and take care of yourself. Even if she's your soulmate."

There is something in the way she looks at him, hurt, and lost. And there are tears in her eyes. "It's not like you're on expert on that, right, Sam? What do you know about soulmates?"

 

He freezes. So does Maxine.

He can't believe she went there, and it seems like neither can she.

 

Of all people, Maxine is the only one he ever told about his lack of a soulmark. When she cried about Paula's message, the evening she told him about how the two of them met, Sam told her. He told her everything. And she promised to look into it, to find out what's wrong with him, once they didn't have to worry about the zombies anymore (despite Sam assuring he was fine. A lie, obviously. But still.)

He had told Maxine knowing his secret would be save with her.

And now she used it against him.

"Oh my God, Sam, I'm so sorry, I didn't ..."

There is something about hearing it. Something about hearing those words said out loud, that's surprisingly freeing.

Sam laughs, and it sounds terribly fake even in his own ears. "You're right. What would I know about soulmates, hm? I don't. I don't know anything about … about meeting the one person you're destined to be with. Or having a person you're destined to be with I don't know about any of that. And I don't care. I'm done caring. I'm done pretending that I care. Soulmates? What the hell! Someone destiny tells you to be with? What a joke! People leaving someone they are perfectly happy with because they are not the one and only you're apparently supposed to be with? That's insane!"

"Sam...," Maxine looks like her hearts breaking for him, and he can't deal with it. And he doesn't care that he's raised his voice and maybe everyone in the hospital can hear him.

"Soulmates are a stupid concept that nobody should give a damn about! _I'm_ gonna chose who I want to be with, not the universe! It's my choice! And maybe one day I'll … I'll find the courage to tell the person I want to be with that I want to be with them, and then it will be their choice as well!"

Because there is a person like that, there has been a person like that for a while now. And really, all that's been holding him back is the fact that he doesn't have a stupid tattoo with some words somewhere on his back. And that's ridiculous.

"And I'll chose not because of a stupid tattoo, but just because it's the person I want to be with! I don't give a damn about soulmates! If there's someone out there with a weird phrase on their ass of something I once said or will say, screw them, I don't care! And I don't want to hear about that topic ever again!"

Sam needs to get out of here, he needs to get some fresh air, fix the stupid comms shack, blow off steam and then come back and apologise to Maxine because he just shouted at her. But not yet. Now he needs to get-

He turns around and sees Five, standing in the open doorway, hand raised as if to knock at the door. Pale. Staring at him with wide eyes.

Sam clears his throat. "Oh hey, Five, erm, sorry you had to hear that, it wasn't-"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence. The next second Five turns around and runs off.

No, not running off.

Fleeing.

Great work, Sam. Great work.

 

 

Sam does what he does best when faced with problems: distracting himself. Keeping busy. He spends the rest of the day trying to fix whatever is wrong with his comms station. He knows he should go apologise to Maxine. And he should go find Five and … find out whatever happened.

But instead he climbs the radio tower to check if all the wiring up there still works properly.

"Mr Yao, what are you doing up there?" Janine looks up to him, hands at her hips, clearly not amused.

"Making sure everything works like it's supposed to," he explains, climbing a little higher.

"That piece of equipment you are carrying, did you steal that from my private tool shed?"

"I borrowed it! To check something."

She huffs. "Well then, hurry up, will you?"

Sam fumbles with the equipment, hoping that this will finally fix it. Then he makes his way back down. He's nearly back at the bottom when he slips. Trying to find his balance, he sees Janine sprinting forward -

\- catching the equipment.

While he falls to the ground next to her, landing on his butt.

"Ouch!" he looks at Janine. "Did you just … save the equipment instead of me?"

She raises an eyebrow: "You can heal, Mr Yao. Technical equipment can't. But it's good to know that you're not mortally wounded either. Any way, carry on."

She turns around, heading back to her house, and Sam can't help but stare after her. Janine is a very peculiar person, with strange priorities.

Then again, she keeps all of them alive, so he won't judge.

 

"Oh my God, Sam, are you alright?" Jody is suddenly at his side, in her running gear, apparently back from training. "What a nasty fall, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, I'm alright."

She helps him get to his feet.

"Thank you, it looked much worse than it was."

"Wait, isn't that-" she point at his side, and Sam sees that his shirt rode up a little when he fell. The skin where the plaster used to be is visible. Nothing but skin and freckles. A complete lack of a soulmark. "Isn't that were your soulmark is?"

He shakes his head. "Nah, that's the other side."

"You sure?"

Sam blinks, trying to look startled and a little amused about her ' _mistake_ '. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"That's weird," she shrugs. "Because I swear I'd remember those freckles. They look like some star constellation."

Sam frowns, looking down at the freckles. He hasn't really paid attention to them much, he has freckles on his arms as well and never even wasted the tiniest thought on them. "Really?"

"Yeah, look," she points at a few, "Those look like they're in a row, like Orion … Or wait, maybe it's not stars," she laughs. "It looks a bit like morse code, don't you think."

What?

Jody doesn't realise that he stares at her.

"I don't know morse code, but I've seen some of it in the comms shack… like … this could be one of the dots, and then these two small freckles here form a line, and then … hey, you should try and see if it says something, like a secret message by the illuminati ...You know those people who start seeing strange patterns in all sorts of things. Like Jesus on a slice of toast," Jody laughs.

Like it was just a casual conversation. A joke.

Like she didn't just turn his whole world upside down with just a few words.

Sam is still standing there, looking at his freckles, tracing the patterns with his eyes, and then staring at Jody again. Finally she looks up. Frowns. Confused.

"Sam, you sure you didn't hit your head?"

Instead of answering he reaches out for her, pulls her close and smacks a big, wet kiss on her forehead. Then he looks into her eyes and says: "Jody Marsh, you are by far the most brilliant person I've ever met. And I will be forever thankful."

She blinks. "What the...?"

Sam hugs her, and then runs off.

"Sam are you sure you're okay? You look like a madman!"

He's a madman alright. But a madman with a mission.

Because he might be wrong.

He might be so so wrong.

But there is a chance he is not.

And he's not gonna let that small chance slide.

 

 

 

He finds Five on one of the benches in the new park, facing the small memorial stone for all those who didn't make it through the attack on Abel.

Because where else would Five be than close to Runner Eight's memorial.

Sam still remembers how suspicious Sara had been of this new mysterious runner, falling from the sky. But she had warmed up to Five, and they'd become friends. And in the end Sara had given her life to lure the zombies away so Five could escape.

It had been a sad day for Abel and the world is a worse place without Sara Smith in it.

Sam knows that Five likes to come to the small park to think, or unwind after a difficult mission, or just to enjoy some peace and quiet. Sam also knows Five comes here when something upsetting has happened. Maybe something upsetting like him shouting like a maniac.

Five doesn't look up when he sits down at the bench, and for a moment they sit next to each other, nobody saying a word. It reminds him of the hospital tent's waiting room. Has it really been a week since they sat there? Since Five wanted to talk to him about something important?

Well, maybe it's time to finally have that conversation.

Or maybe he's wrong. Maybe he got it all wrong.

For better or worse, he'll know soon enough...

Let it be said that Sam Yao is _not_ a coward. Anymore.

 

Sam gathers all his courage, takes a last deep breath, and starts talking.

"I'm very sorry about before," he starts. "Can I talk to you for a second? I know you like to be alone here, but it will only take a few minutes. And then I'll go away if you want."

Five still refuses to look at him, staring at the memorial stone instead, finally nodding.

"Okay, there is one thing that not a lot of people know about. In fact, only my parents knew, and my sister, and Maxine. I have this thing called … called … it's a complicated term in Latin, I don't even remember, but it's also called ... _Late Marking_. It's … basically when people are born without a soulmark. It's a genetic disease and very rare. And of course, lucky me, I have it. Had it. I don't know if I ever did. It doesn't really matter that much, except it does, and...“

Focus, Sam, focus.

"Anyways, I was born without a soulmark, and everyone told me not to worry. I had this _Late Marking_ thing, and I'd get my soulmark once I hit puberty. But I never did. So I pretended that I had one. I didn't want anyone to worry about me. And I did research but I couldn't find cases like mine. There are people with … platonic soulmates, not romantic ones. And people who don't have a soulmark because they lost the limp carrying it very early while still in the womb. And people with _Late Marking_. But no soulmark? That was just me. And I was so frustrated because of all the people in the world, of course _I_ was the one without a soulmate. Go figure.“

He pauses. Giving Five time to say something, to react in anyway. But Five turns away from him, slightly shaking. He can hear a sniffle. Are those tears?

But when Five doesn't face him, or say anything, he continues. "I was so jealous of all the people finding their soulmates, I thought something about me was … broken. Why was I the only one different? I started dating Alice, and I liked her, and she liked me, but deep down I knew that if her soulmate was still alive, and if she saw even the slightest chance of still meeting them, she wouldn't be with me. Or she'd be with me in a different way."

To his surprise, this is when Five reacts and signs a quick 'S _orry_ '. Even with Five facing away from him Sam would always recognise that sign. Five uses it a lot. Much more than necessary, really. It says a lot about Five's childhood, Sam assumes.

"Look, Five, I might be wrong about this, but I think I'm not. You heard me when I talked to Maxine, and I said that I want to be the one to chose who I want to be with. Because I want it to be my choice, and not ... destiny telling me this is the one for me because of what they first said to me. And I mean it. But then Jody mentioned something that made me realise that I might … I might have made my choice _and_ picked the person destiny thinks is good for me. Coincidentally."

He lifts his shirt a little. "Like I said I might be wrong, but I have this feeling that I'm not. Because Jody was right, those freckles do look like morse code, and thanks to you I can read that now, and maybe they are not freckles at all."

Now he's sure he's hearing more sniffles, and there are tears running down Fives face. Five, who still doesn't want to look at him, but is now looking at the freckles on his skin.

Five, who – and Sam is sure about that – remembers the day they met. The day Jolly Alpha Five Niner was hit by a rocket launcher. The day Sam saw a survivor on his screen, running. The day Sam used the name Runner Five for the first time since Alice had died.

Fives eyes glide along the pattern on his skin, deciphering the code. _'H-E-L-P-I-M-A-L-I-V-E'_

The first words Five had ever sent to Abel Township's comms station. Back then, Sam didn't know morse code, but he understood what it was, took notes, and found the answer on rofflenet.

Five stares at it for a few seconds, and then, holds out an arm. The one with the bandage.

Sam lets out a long breath he didn't realise he held. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears. "Can I...?"

Five nods. Now Sam's fingers shake as he reaches for it. Five chuckles.

"Are you making fun of me for being nervous," he asks, with a tiny smile, his heart still racing. "Now?"

Five signs another _'Sorry'_ , and then finally Sam manages to take of the bandage around Five's forearm.

He knew what to expect. Deep down he knew he was right.

But still he didn't really dare to hope. Because he could still be wrong, it could still be all a cruel joke, created by the universe to screw him over because … well just because.

But there it is, tiny tiny letters in all black. On Five's forearm he can read the words _'If there is anyone alive, this is Sam Yao'_.

He traces the words with the tips of his fingers. "Thank God, or this would have been really awkward."

The next moment, Five is laughing, and there are tears, and then they are hugging. And it's the best moment of is his life.

By far.

"Just for protocol", he whispers into Fives neck, not willing to let go already. "I did like you before I realised the thing with the morse code."

Five chuckles and types onto his shoulder _'N-O-T-E-D'_.

 

 

When they finally let go, still sitting close, knees and arms touching, Five raises a hand to swipe away tears from Sam's face. Did he cry? Well, he's not ashamed of it. He earned those tears. Those are _Just-Found-My-Soulmate-_ Tears. The best tears there are.

Five is crying as well, and it's messy and wet and not at all good looking, but it's still wonderful.

"You _knew_. All this time you _knew,"_  he says, pointing at Five's tattoo. "It even has my _name_ on it! Why did you never say anything?"

Five raises a sarcastic eyebrow at his choice of words.

"Okay, why did you never _mention_ it?"

There is a slight hesitation, then Five signs. _'Didn't know about the morse. I thought you knew. About me. Us. I thought you didn't want me.'_

Sam feels his heart breaking all over again. All this time he thought he was the one who suffered the most. Thinking he didn't have a soulmate. But finding your soulmate who doesn't even acknowledge you, and completely ignores that you are soulmates, and then says all the things he just said in Maxine's office - that's so much more cruel.

Instead of saying "I'm sorry", he signs it. Hoping that from now on Five won't have to use that one so much anymore. He'll do the apologising from now on. For how terrible he behaved. He'll tell Five every day. For as many days as Five will have him.

Then he smiles, pulls Five a little closer and rests their foreheads together. "Well, I do want you," he says, eyes closed. "That is, if you'll have me. Don't feel required to be with me just because some tattoo says so, okay?" He takes a deep breath. "So what do you say?"

He looks up to see Five's answer – it's a vague hand gesture, like ' _I don't know maybe?_ ' But Five is smiling (what a gorgeous smile!), making him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

He knows he's blushing, and huffs. "Why so vague on your answer. I'm a catch."

' _You are,_ ' Five signs.

"So …?"

_'So I guess I'll have you. I've waited long enough.'_

He feels guilty for that, guilty for not understanding sooner, guilty for not asking sooner, and he lifts his hands to sign 'I'm sorry' again.

But Five just smiles, grabs his hands and pulls him forward. Their lips meeting for a brief and chaste kiss.

It's the best kiss he's ever had.

The best kiss anyone has ever had.

He's sure about that.

"Okay," he says against Five's lips. "Less apologising more kissing."

Five nods. They kiss again, and then start giggling like school children.

"It's getting late. And everyone will be wondering what all that drama was about."

_'Drama?'_

"I shouted at Maxine and fell from the comms tower." Sam gets up, pulling up Five with him. "Also you're Abel's hero. There will be gossip."

 _'Zombie apocalypse,'_ Five signs again. _'Would be boring without gossip.'_

They hold hands when they leave the small park. Five waves at the memorial stone, like saying Goodbye to a friend, and they make their way back.

 

 

It's not going to be perfect.

It's the zombie apocalypse, and there is a mad scientist out to get them, and people like Nadia who want revenge, and people like Paula who switch sides. People will die. More friends will die. Maybe one day Five or Sam will die (though Sam swears to all the deities he knows that he will do anything he possibly can to prevent that from happening).

And their township is still a bit of a mess, and the walking dead are out there.

But Five and Sam will make the best of it. Not because some tattoo on Five's arm has his name on it, and some freckles on Sam's hip are actually morse code. But because they would have done so even without some stupid soulmarks.

And that's the most important thing.

 

 

That night, for the first time in weeks, sharing a blanket with Five, hurled together in a corner of the comms shack, Sam Yao sleeps like a baby.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Just a few things:
> 
> \- I no nothing about morse code or ASL, but I did my best  
> \- In case some of you have been confused: Five CAN speak - aka is physically able to speak - in this universe, but doesn't want to. Maybe for psychological reasons.  
> \- Thank you so much for reading :)  
> \- If you want you can discuss all things Zombies, Run! with me on my tumblr (collected-sports-bra.tumblr.com)  
> \- Also check out Zombies, Run! fanpodcast Podcast Detected!


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